Best cleric 'special powers'

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Let's ignore cleric domains for the moment, and focus on the special powers (or 'perks', as I like to call them) clerics receive. Select what you consider to be the *two* best special powers.

 

Lathander's Renewal and Tempus' Strength. First one heals by a solid amount, second one buffs nicely.

 

"Quest that gives +2 to Wisdom" strangely missing from the list...

 

JT:

That's not a 'special power'. It's a quest bonus for a particular order of cleric.

 

Well put, without spoiling too much.

I think you shouldn't have dissected all the bonuses of the domains, for example, if Tempus' Strength and WF: Axe feats were combined, they'd win votes together easily, but it's still early days...

Some feats are hard to evaluate, like I don't know how useful Blind Fight would be. Since you can vote on more than one thing in this poll, I voted for Tyrant's Dictum and Axe feats.

Tyrant's Dictum wouldn't be much good without considering the great will-save spells that Banites have access to.

The Axe feats are immediate and obvious benefits for Tempurans, but they don't get any quest bonuses. They can't even take a mix-in level to get a quest bonus, due to alignment limitations.

Personally, I think the round/level boosts once per day aren't much to write home about

 

coin:

Maybe not, but they are better than a hole in the head.

It seems like some posters think I'm try to make implications about which domain is best based on the two special abilities received. That's not true. Clearly the spell selection each domain receives is more important. The quest bonus Baniites receive is also something to consider. +2 wisdom would translate into... +1DC? Then add that to Tyrant's Dictum, and you have an instant -4 saving throw modifier for Domination.

I guess this thread is mainly curiosity.

Here's how I would list the special powers above:

Good abilities:
Martial Weapon: Axe and Weapon Focus: Axe feats. - two free feats that any axe warrior would want!

Tempus' Strength, although Illmater's Endurance seem pretty solid.

Tyrant's Dictum - -1 to will saves is good for Baniites

Lathander's Renewal 1/day - speedy healing never hurts

Selune's Freedom - because getting paralyzed really sucks, and who memorises 'Remove Paralysis?)

Destructive Blow - boost to damage and to-hit on all attacks.

Average abilities:

5 electrical resistance - good in combination with aasimar resistance and lightning feat).

Helm's Shield - small bonus to saves

Helm's Watch - small bonus to AC.

Identify - Saves sorcerer slots

Lame abilities

Pain Touch 1/day - -2 to strength and dexterity is neglible.

+1 to all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate - negligable

+1 bonus to Hide, Move Silently, and Pick Pockets - negligable.

Blind-Fight feat - no invisible enemies in the game.

Improved Turning Feat - Very few undead in the game, and the effect in negligable.

 

The blind fight feat (not something to say after a few drinks!) can be used if you're blinded I think.

 

In 3E, Selune's Freedom should automatically kick in when it is needed. I strongly suspect that in IWD2, you have to use it ahead of time. In fact, I'll bet that it's just an extra Freedom of Movement spell. Could someone who has played a Selune cleric confirm or deny this?

 

I voted for the axe feats. Martial Weapon:Axe is a feat which is worth taking for any cleric, since axes are far better than the weapons clerics are proficient without taking feats, both melee and ranged. Weapon Focus:Axe is an useful feat pure clerics can't even take.

I also voted for Destructive Blow since it gives the best bonus, but only once per day.

 

I like the thread, and discussing cleric feats is definitely interesting.

It just distracts from casting Bull's or Champion's Strength. DUHM outcompetes the endurance too.

This is only for the cleric, and rounds/level? Actually, I just started memorizing a casting of Remove Paralysis with each of my clerics, and it's super handy. Party-wide freedom, just when you need it. Before, my banite had only Hold Person memeorized, and my Lathanderite had only Bull's Strength. I should've memorized it long ago, it would have saved me many reloads in the Ice Temple!

Like a 1-person Recitation, without the saving throw bonuses. But it's quick-casting, so not too bad.

Actually not too bad for clerics with low dexterity and no Spell Resistance.

Not a day goes by when I haven't used up all of my level 1 sorcerer spells, so I don't regret not picking Identify. A casting of it isn't too bad for a cleric.

Yeah, no one uses clerics as diplomats, and it's not worth a mix-in just for the +1. But my bard will take it in the future, and it really works for her: the talking skills bonuses, +1 DC for will spells, of which the bard has loads, the quest bonus to improve her poor will saving throw. And the cleric mix-in itself will also improve will saves, regardless of the quest bonus.

These are Maskite abilities, and would work well for a rogue. Losing your dexterity bonus to AC can be lethal for a high-DEX rogue. The skill bonuses help to make the mix-in less of a waste.

@kmonster:
Technically, clerics can take the second feat in Axe, just not the third without 4 fighter levels mixed in. The proficiency feat removes the -4 attack bonus for nonproficiency, and the second feat only adds another +1, so it probably isn't a worthwhile feat to take, but it's nice to get free.

 

Axe specialisation is a feat worth taking for a cleric, there aren't many feats which are more useful than a bonus to all attacks.

 

Normally, in NWN2, I would say the weapon focus feats aren't that useful unless you are intending to get weapon specialization. However, in iwd 2 they are great because there are so few feats worth taking as is.

 

Vigilance:

Another way of looking at it is this: Even if a cleric doesn't take the Tempus domain, they can still access the Axe proficiency feats (and there are so few good feats for clerics in particular). However, if you don't take the Illmater domain, there is no other way to access a once a day ability that gives you +6 to endurance.

At level 30, +6 to endurance translates to... 90 hp?

 

Elaborate, at once.

 

Spoiler

Dreadmasters of Bane can get +2 Wisdom from a quest involving Hiephierus early in chapter 4. Even banite mix-ins get the bonus, making it a very powerful cleric order indeed. Do the same in HoF mode, and your characters get +4WIS total...

BTW, I don't think that there are no feats worth taking, and there are definitely some useful ones, so you will be hard pressed feats in the beginning. Taking a feat that only gives +1 AB for one weapon type, definitely isn't the best feat, not even in the top 5.

 

A level 30 cleric will be able to cast DUHM to get +10 endurance for +150 HP (and +10 str and dex). And since the other level 2 cleric spells are quite useless, he can cast it very often per day.

At higher levels only a few feats will make a big difference, but if you have the two axe feats from the beginning, you have the power in the hardest part of the game, the start. At the end 2 extra feats are still nice to have, even +3 permanent HP are better than most special powers.

 

- You can't cast DUHM on other characters.

- You receive the +6 to endurance from the very start of the game.

- There's nothing to stop you from casting both DUHM and IE for an additive effect.

 

Handy to know, I never played a Painbearer, and always assumed that this innate ability could only be cast on self.

True, and it's value stays relevant as you level up. I don't know how the Attack Bonus for Axes holds up as you progress, but I'd guess it's most useful in the beginning.

Are you sure that the CON bonuses from IE and DUHM stack? If so, then it's pretty neat. So far, I've only heard of 1 item and the druid shapeshifts that stack with bonuses from other spells/items.

 

Well, the top 3 are Tempus' Strength, Tyrant's Dictum and Lathander's Renewal, imho. Which order you put them in depends on your play style; I tend to have my cleric's melee a lot, so I voted for Tempus' Strength. It's definitely better than the piddly +1 AB with axes: +3 to hit and damage! Although, in fairness, it's probably the combination of huge STR boost and axes, with their x3 critical multiplier, that makes the difference. O.K., it's only temporary, but I rest pretty often in this game anyway.

 

I'm surprised that Tempus' Strength gets so many votes. At low levels it lasts so short that it isn't worth using, afterwards it won't change that much since you'll have bull's strength at your tanks, at medium levels it's inferior to the champion's strength spell and a high level DUHM is also more powerful.

Helm's watch is imho the 3rd most useful special power, a miscellaneous AC bonus stacks with everything.